First Try
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: The only one with his back still turned was Robin. "My fault," he said, voice obviously shaking. "It was my fault, I didn't mean... I didn't mean for you guys to get that..."


**A/N: Well, since everyone was definitely going to ask about how they didn't react to their mentors dying. Here's my logic: it was the second time they attempted the link.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Young Justice.**

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><p><strong>First Try<strong>

Everyone laid down. Seven pairs of eyes shut. Three blue, one brown, one green, one silver, and one yellow. Not sleeping, just resting, waiting for their minds to link up, to take in the scenario and live a whole new life, even if just for a little while.

Those same sets of eyes reopened to watch the cave unfold around them. They were standing up and watching the screens as a foreign ship sat outside of their atmosphere, waiting to infiltrate earth and kill every mortal being in existence on the pitiful planet.

Red Tornado was giving orders in his usual monotone. Everyone watched the screens; they were only half-listening.

The Lanterns had already been vaporized, reduced to floating carcasses in the emptiness of space. The lasers had made them look like Swiss cheese.

They watched in silence as Captain Marvel and Icon flew through the empty abyss of space until lasers zapped out of the ship and blasted fresh holes through their chests. Both men began to float rather than fly.

Superman was the next to go, heat vision trained on the part of the ship a certain Bat had told him would make the whole thing go up in flames. It would only take a few secon- The laser stabbed him right through the chest. The Man of Steel, the great Superman, was dead as dead could get.

Manhunter fell fast as well. His cloaking ability gave him a few more moments of life, but once the heat sensors within the ship got a lock on his signature, he was gone. The green man floated in the empty air, an ugly hole ripped through his chest.

The last hit was the hardest. Watching the black ship with Batman inside explode into hundreds of thousands of fragments was too much. Superman was the strongest man alive, but even he had a weakness. Batman, the impenetrable wall, dead, was a different story.

Everyone seemed to remember the scenario. For a few seconds anyways.

Something inside of Robin tightened and twisted. His eyes focused, trying to find his mentor amongst the rubbish that now polluted the landscape of space. He thought he saw a body-

His mind was painted with an all too vivid picture: pools of crimson blood spattering the ground, two broken bodies laying in the ocean of scarlet with open, glassy eyes, all the hurt sinking into his bones-

Seven sets of eyes jolted open; each one (with the exception of Wolf) felt the same fear and pain slam into them like they'd been hit by a bus. The mental attack was enough to bring them back to reality, the real cave materializing around them as they woke from their training.

Red Tornado was immediately in the center of the circle, working the best he could to help J'onn back to his feet after the Leaguer had fallen to his knees from the same attack.

"What-" Artemis's breath was raspy. Her mouth felt dry. In her years of being an assassin's daughter, she'd never felt anything so hopeless and pitiful in her entire life. "-was that?" Her blue eyes scanned the others as they all sat up almost simultaneously.

Wally was gulping in air, desperate to be able to breathe again. He already knew what was going on, but his words were crippled by gasps. His jade eyes were searching the circle for the familiar mop of ebony hair, trying to reach out while he still could.

Each turned to face the center slowly, looking at each other. M'gann already had tears in her eyes. Conner could see them from the table where he laid beside her. "Who did that?" he asked, voice close to a snarl. His blue eyes, slightly feral, searched the circle for a suspect.

The only one with his back still turned was Robin. "My fault," he said, voice obviously shaking. "It was my fault, I didn't mean... I didn't mean for you guys to get that..." He swallowed hard, his eyes burning. He was about to turn around and face them when Batman was at his side, pushing his head down between his knees.

The whole team watched at the strange sight as Batman pulled off one black glove and began to run a large hand through the boy's black hair. His son would always be put before his reputation. "You need to relax," the Dark Knight murmured to his protege, trying to keep the young hero from hurting his image. Bruce knew how judgmental teenagers could be. Protecting Dick was the one thing he knew he had to do. "Just breathe."

Conner, after watching for a moment, moved to help M'gann, his muscular arms wrapping around her as she tries to wipe away tears. Her telekinetic attachment had made her take a good hit of the pain, the memory like gunshot when it struck. She was glad to have Conner close.

After a quick glance at the Caped Crusader and his ward, Wally practically vibrated over to Artemis. He'd caught sight of her puzzled face and decided she needed the basic rundown. "Here's what you need to know," said the speedster in a voice quiet enough so that the Dark Knight wouldn't hear. "Rob's kind of adopted. Bats took him in, obviously." He rolled his eyes with a quick glance to the archer before looking back at Robin; Wally could've sworn he saw a read drop from his best friend's chin. "Anyways, what you just felt was what he deals with on a daily basis. We've been mentally linked before and that kind of backlash isn't even the worst."

Artemis was about to ask a question, but Wally continued before she could get a word out. "My guess is that watching the League die created the kindling and seeing Batman die was the spark. He flashes back to that moment when the same exact thing happened and BOOM! Perfect scenario for everything to just go up in flames. It hits J'onn and Megan and it's game over for the scenario."

"Why does the League matter?" questioned the archer softly, hoping she was quiet enough for the Gotham heroes not to hear.

"Because Batman doesn't have family and neither does Robin. So, in trying to give Robin a normal childhood, he raised him so that the League is virtually the same as his non-existent uncles and aunts. My Uncle Barry is his Uncle Barry. Your Uncle Ollie is his Uncle Ollie. Get my drift?" Wally tried to peer around the Dark Knight's cape in an attempt to see his friend's face better. Pain spread across it in a grimace, Wally wished he hadn't looked.

"So watching them die and then Batman die-"

"-was like watching his parents die all over again." Wally's gaze was on Kaldur as he petted a confused Wolf. The ginger's eyes grew wide after a moment. "You weren't supposed to know that..." A frustrated sigh came from him. His gaze swung back to Batman's cape. He was desperate to get in there and see if he could help his friend, even if only a little bit...

Artemis's mouth was slightly agape. "He... watched them..." She winced at the thought. "Is that what... what we saw?"

One of his feet shuffled. "Yeah." His eyes averted from the Dark Knight as he watched Batman step away from his protege; Robin still had his head between his knees, but he was breathing normally again. Calming him down after something like that usually took a good ten minutes. "Just don't mention it around him. It's a really sore spot. He was only nine."

It felt like her heart shattered in her chest. Nine. The same age he'd become Robin. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly pulling themselves together. Watching his parents die. Pair him with someone who was already a hero. Craving justice, the poor boy turns into a vigilante. "I won't say anything," she solemnly promised. "He doesn't need to relive that again."

Wally's jade orbs watched the broken bird sit up again and tilt his head back while taking in a deep breath of fresh air. "Good." And he paced away again, knowing how close they were to trying the exercise again.

"Again." His voice was strong when he spoke. He had to keep breathing normally. Watching Bruce die... He'd felt so alone, like everything was going to crumble... The only reason he'd snapped like that was because he knew he would be alone again with Bruce dead. Dick just wouldn't take that again. He didn't want to be alone anymore. "I'll keep my thoughts to myself this time, don't worry." He still didn't face his teammates. "It won't happen again."

Aqualad got back up on his table and laid down quietly, not wishing to disrupt the peace. Wolf had gone quiet as well.

Reluctantly, Conner relinquished his hold on Megan and moved back to his own spot. After making sure she was alright, he closed his eyes, not asking questions.

Wally was already silent, hands folded across his chest as his mouth rested as a severe line.

Artemis looked over Robin for a second. After he had laid down again, she could see his wet cheeks and hear his still slightly sharp breathing. Her acute senses trained in on him as she put her head against the metal table. Her own eyes fell shut.

J'onn took over once more. He had been instructed last second to change the lasers to something more closely related to the zeta-beam. Less blood that way. Less ways to invoke those agonizing memories...

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><p><strong>AN: That's why no one reacted. They saw it the first time and went back the second time, resulting in the episode. Anyways, a review would be nice. Thanks for reading.**

**~Sky**

**P.S. Why Batman shoved Robin's head between his knees, it's something that helps me... so it's frequently translated into my work when a character just needs to calm down. It's... relaxing. So yeah. Just in case you were going to ask.**


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